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Kubiak is who he is

G

gtexan02

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One of the things I've read on the boards over and over again is that fans would like to see us get up early on an opponent and then really step on their throats to finish the game. Go up by 20 by halftime? Make it 40 by the end.

While I would love to see that style from time to time as well, its important to remember that our head coach is Gary Kubiak. Thats not his style. He plays for a lead and then plays to protect that lead.

There are arguments to be made on both sides of this idea -- whether its better to keep your food on the gas pedal or better to eat the clock and "go turtle." But saying that our team is a failure for doing the latter is not accurate. We play the game our coach wants to play. We aren't going to blow teams out by 40 points. We aren't going to score 40+ very often. We have a good defense and he trusts that defense.

In yesterday's game there was a point where we were in 3rd and 10+. I think it was 12. I told my friends that there was a 100% chance of a run or a WR screen. And guess what? WR screen for 4 yards.

Thats the type of plays Kubiak calls when he's ahead. He's not going to risk a turnover when the other team is in scoring position. Instead of being frustrated and thinking that we failed to collect a 3rd down conversion, its important to know "Thats what Kubiak expected to happen, and he's ok with it"


Thats our identity. We play for the lead, and then rely on our run game and superior defense to protect it. Stop thinking of 4th quarters where the other team scores and we don't as failures. We aren't changing, and right now we're 3-0
 
Oh Lord . . . please tell me this isn't going to be one of those "we're winning despite Kubiak" threads.
 
For the most part the system works. Get a lead, lean on the running game and D to seal it. If Ben doesn't have that costly fumble it looks a lot better yesterday. I would say that you might be selling Gary a little short there. I think he is still and will always be evolving as a head coach. If he needs to change it up a bit to get the job done I think he will. So far there has not been a need to. I trust him and our entire coaching staff.
 
Marcus said:
Oh Lord . . . please tell me this isn't going to be one of those "we're winning despite Kubiak" threads.
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No way, I love me some Kubiak. I just think its funny that people want him to coach in a way that isn't his coaching style.

We're 3-0. I don't need to see 40 point blowouts to be convinced we're the #1 team in the NFL. A W is a W
 
We are 3-0 for the first time in history. I don't care how we got there, just that we are there.

Now let's see another 16 like it! :texflag:
 
Incompletions stop the clock, runs do not. For me, it's as simple as that. I would've done the same thing in the 4th quarter yesterday. "You play to win the game" (thanks Herm)

Tate's fumble, defense gives up a couple big plays and a bogus call on KJ kept this from being a 20 point blowout. Kubiak couldn't do much about those
 
The reality of it is, your opponents are professional athletes and they'll make a few plays too......even if you're vastly superior.

You only really see 20 & 30 pt. blowouts at the very very beginning of the season when starters 1st play a full game together, or at the end of the season when teams that are out of it have given up or are sitting starters.

Most teams however, do exactly what he does..keep running the ball (throwing only when they need to keep the chains moving) to keep running the clock so as to get out of there as fast & as injury free as possible.

So i don't put that on the coach, It's more on the players; they expect their opponents to submit & they lose focus. If anything, the coach is usually the guy trying to keep the players focused.
 
gtexan02 said:
One of the things I've read on the boards over and over again is that fans would like to see us get up early on an opponent and then really step on their throats to finish the game. Go up by 20 by halftime? Make it 40 by the end.

While I would love to see that style from time to time as well, its important to remember that our head coach is Gary Kubiak. Thats not his style. He plays for a lead and then plays to protect that lead.

There are arguments to be made on both sides of this idea -- whether its better to keep your food on the gas pedal or better to eat the clock and "go turtle." But saying that our team is a failure for doing the latter is not accurate. We play the game our coach wants to play. We aren't going to blow teams out by 40 points. We aren't going to score 40+ very often. We have a good defense and he trusts that defense.

In yesterday's game there was a point where we were in 3rd and 10+. I think it was 12. I told my friends that there was a 100% chance of a run or a WR screen. And guess what? WR screen for 4 yards.

Thats the type of plays Kubiak calls when he's ahead. He's not going to risk a turnover when the other team is in scoring position. Instead of being frustrated and thinking that we failed to collect a 3rd down conversion, its important to know "Thats what Kubiak expected to happen, and he's ok with it"


Thats our identity. We play for the lead, and then rely on our run game and superior defense to protect it. Stop thinking of 4th quarters where the other team scores and we don't as failures. We aren't changing, and right now we're 3-0
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The problem with Gary's philosophy is teams can come back on you and most teams including Texans will have "down times" for whatever reason and make bad plays. 20 point leads can become 6 with ball in opponents' hands. If it is last quarter and we have 20 point lead, then sit on it. I am not talking about rubbing dirt in other's face but playing football 100% until whistle blows. If you feel comfortable with 20 then bring in some back ups for experience rather than letting your starting QB get pounded. Yates could have taken more than one snap and allowed Matt some rest.
 
Wr screen's and running play's on 3rd and long has nothing to do with Gary trying to protect a lead. We are a balanced team that does very well when we can either run or pass but when we are forced to do one or the other we have a more difficult time. This team was not built to sit back and throw the ball. We use play action or have Matt role out on bootleg's a majority of our passing plays.

Our line is built to zone block. Matt isnt very mobile. 3rd and long is not one of our strong points. Luckily we don't get into that position very often.
 
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I don't know what game you were watching, but with a 20-point lead in the 3rd, on that play where Schaub lost a chunk of his ear, he was throwing deep to Andre. Gary doesn't change his offensive game plan regardless of the lead. Hell, we run it a ton when we DON'T have a big lead, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that we're going to run it WITH a big lead. 8-man fronts? We're running the ball. 3-man fronts in dime packages? We're running the ball. The offense is built on play actions from sucking defenses in because they're afraid we're going to run it. It's what we do. 3rd and 8? He's not afraid to run it. 4th and inches? Not afraid to throw it. It's total confidence that your offense is going to get yards no matter what play you call. THAT is Kubiak's "style".
 
DerekLee1 said:
I don't know what game you were watching, but with a 20-point lead in the 3rd, on that play where Schaub lost a chunk of his ear, he was throwing deep to Andre. Gary doesn't change his offensive game plan regardless of the lead. Hell, we run it a ton when we DON'T have a big lead, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that we're going to run it WITH a big lead. 8-man fronts? We're running the ball. 3-man fronts in dime packages? We're running the ball. The offense is built on play actions from sucking defenses in because they're afraid we're going to run it. It's what we do. 3rd and 8? He's not afraid to run it. 4th and inches? Not afraid to throw it. It's total confidence that your offense is going to get yards no matter what play you call. THAT is Kubiak's "style".
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I believe we just had a 10-point lead on the "ear" play, but I agree with your overall point...Kubes wants to run the ball, and unless we're down by 20 or so points in the 2nd half, that's going to be the first option.
 
Somewhat agree with OP.

My issue is that what happens when it's the Super Bowl, Texans are up 35 to 17 at half....Kubiak plays it a tad safe, per his style, and the opposing team rattles off a TD at start of 3rd quarter?

Gary tries to gear up, but we go 3 & out...opposing team gets a FG.

Now we're up 8. Things stall, other team gets hot...we're losing momentum.

No lead is safe, so you have to score as much as you can to help ensure the opponent cannot score enough to catch up.

#88 should have a TD yesterday but he was slow on the route break at the goal line. He also almost had another TD but failed to drag his second foot inside the end zone.

Folks, #88 sort of blew it for the Broncos....and that means Gary should have been looking at a score deficit NOT a surplus. We gotta learn how to keep scoring TDs. Period.
 
GP said:
Somewhat agree with OP.

My issue is that what happens when it's the Super Bowl, Texans are up 35 to 17 at half....Kubiak plays it a tad safe, per his style, and the opposing team rattles off a TD at start of 3rd quarter?

Gary tries to gear up, but we go 3 & out...opposing team gets a FG.

Now we're up 8. Things stall, other team gets hot...we're losing momentum.

No lead is safe, so you have to score as much as you can to help ensure the opponent cannot score enough to catch up.

#88 should have a TD yesterday but he was slow on the route break at the goal line. He also almost had another TD but failed to drag his second foot inside the end zone.

Folks, #88 sort of blew it for the Broncos....and that means Gary should have been looking at a score deficit NOT a surplus. We gotta learn how to keep scoring TDs. Period.
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This is my POV
 
If I really had to nitpick at a Kubiak playcall from yesterday's game, it would be the play-action on the first play of the game when we were on the 6-yard line. I was a bit afraid of it before the play happened, since it seems like Kubiak loves to start games with play-action, but safety or not, a win is a win. Terrific overall game yesterday even if we dropped some INTs.
 
mokalus said:
If I really had to nitpick at a Kubiak playcall from yesterday's game, it would be the play-action on the first play of the game when we were on the 6-yard line. I was a bit afraid of it before the play happened, since it seems like Kubiak loves to start games with play-action, but safety or not, a win is a win. Terrific overall game yesterday even if we dropped some INTs.
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If he runs the ball there, people would cry that he's too conservative.

WRT the public, Kubes is in a no-win situation. Not that he cares what we think about his play-calling. He's calling plays trying to win and he's got his strategies that he follows to do that.
 
HOU-TEX said:
Incompletions stop the clock, runs do not. For me, it's as simple as that. I would've done the same thing in the 4th quarter yesterday. "You play to win the game" (thanks Herm)
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So would 31 other coaches especially if they were blessed with the running attack that we have. If not, the other coaches that dont, will realize what the NFL stands for... Not For Long.
 
GP said:
Somewhat agree with OP.

My issue is that what happens when it's the Super Bowl, Texans are up 35 to 17 at half....Kubiak plays it a tad safe, per his style, and the opposing team rattles off a TD at start of 3rd quarter?

Gary tries to gear up, but we go 3 & out...opposing team gets a FG.

Now we're up 8. Things stall, other team gets hot...we're losing momentum.

No lead is safe, so you have to score as much as you can to help ensure the opponent cannot score enough to catch up.

#88 should have a TD yesterday but he was slow on the route break at the goal line. He also almost had another TD but failed to drag his second foot inside the end zone.

Folks, #88 sort of blew it for the Broncos....and that means Gary should have been looking at a score deficit NOT a surplus. We gotta learn how to keep scoring TDs. Period.
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Tried to rep ya, but the system wouldn't allow. Agree 100%.
 
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guess if memory serves. this is what happens when you pass pass pass then punt and make the defense get back on the field :spin:
 
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I thought they still took some shots. AJ dropped the TD and also that long one that hit his facemask.

If he converts those, the Texans all of a sudden had "killer instinct".
 
dtran04 said:
I thought they still took some shots. AJ dropped the TD and also that long one that hit his facemask.

If he converts those, the Texans all of a sudden had "killer instinct".
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Yep , they took some shots even up 20. They just didnt turn into points like the earlier instances.

They didnt take their foot off the throttle.
 
Corrosion said:
Yep , they took some shots even up 20. They just didnt turn into points like the earlier instances.

They didnt take their foot off the throttle.
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That was my impression as well (along with Schaub throwing into some very tight coverage - Bailey was right on top of AJ on the drop in the endzone).
 
Corrosion said:
Yep , they took some shots even up 20. They just didnt turn into points like the earlier instances.

They didnt take their foot off the throttle.
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Yep, there are people who like to form an opinion and encase it in concrete. Reality need not apply.

We even have posters still flying Fire Kubiak soap as avatars.

:kubepalm:
 
We also cannot forget that the Broncos have a solid defense, Peyton Manning, and an high altitude that was obviously having an effect on our defensive players.

Much props to the Texans for staying strong and winning it. That would probably have been a lead that we lost a few years ago. This is clearly a new Texans team that has a whole bunch of attitude and confidence that we are not used to seeing as Texans fans.
 
We are 3-0 and I'm not complaining nor questioning our coaching staff. As long as we are putting up W and ultimately win SB, doesn't matter how we play or scheme it.

Go Texans!!!
 
I have no problem with Garys strategy this game. Even though I would have run the ball all 3 times with a 13 point lead 8 mins to play.

The only bad error was on the last drive was that AJ stepped out of bounds after his 1st down catch, stopping the clock. That was what allowed Peyton to get the ball back one last time. But that's just nitpicking.

Fans have to expect Peyton to makea comeback. It's what he does. BTW, hopefully Foster is in the game next time the Texans are killing the clock. Even though Foster has had fumbling issues of his own.
 
infantrycak said:
That was my impression as well (along with Schaub throwing into some very tight coverage - Bailey was right on top of AJ on the drop in the endzone).
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That was about as well as you can cover and about as perfect as a ball can be thrown .... I think Bailey knocked it out with his foot as he tumbled after contact.


GlassHalfFull said:
Yep, there are people who like to form an opinion and encase it in concrete. Reality need not apply.

We even have posters still flying Fire Kubiak soap as avatars.

:kubepalm:
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Its hard for me to fathom how they can still want Gary run out of town after the job this staff did after Schaub went down last season .... Winning a playoff game and playing another to the final minute with a 5th round rookie 3rd string QB running the show ....

Hell , he could probably win a :trophy: or two and that group will still want him gone ....
 
GlassHalfFull said:
We even have posters still flying Fire Kubiak soap as avatars.
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At this point, they are either questionable in their fandom as Texans fans and/or they ride the short bus.

It baffles me that someone could be anything but excited at this point in Texans history. We've waited a long time for this to come, and I'll be damned if some mouth-breather tries to steal that joy from us.
 
Peyton's done many teams dirty late including that insane 4th quarter vs Tampa.

No team is safe until that clock hits 00 on him.

The early lead and keep it only now works with a solid defense, which we've finally got now. Earlier criticisms of that style were warranted, but also saw signs that even with a large lead they were willing to take shots, not the kind that make me say man this team has is willing to put a foot on an opponents throat necessarily. But, enough to keep them off balance.
 
Corrosion said:
That was about as well as you can cover and about as perfect as a ball can be thrown .... I think Bailey knocked it out with his foot as he tumbled after contact.
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How about the perfectly in stride passes to AJ and Walter? - so much for never.

Have to look back - I was thinking right hand as he was falling.
 
Well, he coached them to kick the snot out of the Broncos and then he coached them to kick the snot out of the clock. When it came down to it, even the great Peyton Manning couldn't come up with enough plays before TIME ran out.

I call that a win. On the road. 3-0 for the first time. Relying on Foster and this D isn't exactly a brain surgeon's strategy.
 
I think SecondHoneymoon is the only Fire Kubiak! guy who still sports the soap.

So why create an issue, Corrosion and GlassHalfFull, when there isn't one? Have I missed the posts lately where people have a pink soap avatar? I sure haven't seen any. SH hasn't posted here in ages.

I don't get how people can invent something in the middle of a thread that doesn't even apply. LOL.

People flew the pink soap until about week 1 or 2 of last year, then it was apparent that Gary's job was safe for a verrry long time.

Nobody here is asking for his head. But he does tend to sort of become a bit conservative when he has a comfy lead. Yesterday was the first time I can recall Schaub really going downfield late in a game with a comfy lead. But previously? I don't recall those types of downfield shots like the ones to LeStar and Dre.
 
Wolf said:
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guess if memory serves. this is what happens when you pass pass pass then punt and make the defense get back on the field :spin:
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HA!! The punch coming from someone who went completely conservative in his defensive play calls in a playoff game v. Kansas City and an aging Montana.
 
GP said:
I think SecondHoneymoon is the only Fire Kubiak! guy who still sports the soap.

So why create an issue, Corrosion and GlassHalfFull, when there isn't one? Have I missed the posts lately where people have a pink soap avatar? I sure haven't seen any. SH hasn't posted here in ages.

I don't get how people can invent something in the middle of a thread that doesn't even apply. LOL.

People flew the pink soap until about week 1 or 2 of last year, then it was apparent that Gary's job was safe for a verrry long time.

Nobody here is asking for his head. But he does tend to sort of become a bit conservative when he has a comfy lead. Yesterday was the first time I can recall Schaub really going downfield late in a game with a comfy lead. But previously? I don't recall those types of downfield shots like the ones to LeStar and Dre.
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Check out Porky's avatar.
 
TimeKiller said:
Well, he coached them to kick the snot out of the Broncos and then he coached them to kick the snot out of the clock. When it came down to it, even the great Peyton Manning couldn't come up with enough plays before TIME ran out.

I call that a win. On the road. 3-0 for the first time. Relying on Foster and this D isn't exactly a brain surgeon's strategy.
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*AHEM* Not to mention that Pay-me-a-ton went 26-52. When was the last time you saw Peyton throw for 50%??? (Answer: Ummm probably never, :thinking: ) Not to mention that 26 incompletions is the highest number of incompletions in his career, IIRC.
 
GP said:
I think SecondHoneymoon is the only Fire Kubiak! guy who still sports the soap.

So why create an issue, Corrosion and GlassHalfFull, when there isn't one? Have I missed the posts lately where people have a pink soap avatar? I sure haven't seen any. SH hasn't posted here in ages.

I don't get how people can invent something in the middle of a thread that doesn't even apply. LOL.

People flew the pink soap until about week 1 or 2 of last year, then it was apparent that Gary's job was safe for a verrry long time.

Nobody here is asking for his head. But he does tend to sort of become a bit conservative when he has a comfy lead. Yesterday was the first time I can recall Schaub really going downfield late in a game with a comfy lead. But previously? I don't recall those types of downfield shots like the ones to LeStar and Dre.
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I'm going to piggy back GP here.

Who are these people you guys are referring to? Sure, maybe a few folks have a tag line or older avatar that they didn't change, but so what. Are they calling for Kubiak's head right now? Are they starting threads about this and saying that he can't get the team anywhere? I have not seen anything like that. I'm sure that the folks that may still have that in their sig or avatar probably haven't even paid much attention to it or aren't posting that often. SH barely ever posts in here anymore.

I have not seen any Kubiak bashing for a while. Even a winning coach's game day decisions and moves can still be criticized though. There are all types of strategies to win games and to become dominant. Everyone doesn't have to agree with Kubiak's methods to a T. I don't see anyone creating "FIRE KUBIAK" threads though. It seems like some folks are looking for something that isn't there. Let's enjoy these wins while we got them. It wasn't long ago, that there were dozens of meltdown threads after every game practically. We're finally getting to enjoy having a dominant team that we can feel confident in week after week.
 
Texan_Bill said:
HA!! The punch coming from someone who went completely conservative in his defensive play calls in a playoff game v. Kansas City and an aging Montana.
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Houston fumbled 7 times in that game, turning the ball over three times. Moon lost a fumble for a touchdown and threw a pick.

Houston managed only 39 yards on the ground and Moon was sacked 9 times. NINE times.

Buddy didn't lose that game.
 
1) I'm not a huge Kubiak fan.

2) Although at this point he deserves a shot a taking us to the promise land without a lot of second guessing from the fans.

3) But I'll never forgive him for wasting 3-4 of the franchise by hiring his no experience/talent buddies for our defensive coaching staff.
 
ObsiWan said:
Check out Porky's avatar.
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Ah. So that's two if we count SH who doesn't really post here anymore. Pretty big outbreak of soap avatars.

Not to take a tasteless jab at Porky, but maybe he isn't good with technology and just doesn't want to mess with the avatar replacement? Even if not, he's like not even a minority...he's a one-nority. Not a BFD, IMO. It's one guy.
 
I find it amusing how many fans blame Kubiak simply because they get nervous and don't enjoy that sensation while watching football. Since the beginning of 2011, the Texans have won 14 games and lost 7 (counting the two playoff games)... How many of those seven losses resulted from being too conservative with a big lead?

Let's see:

New Orleans (small lead at halftime... certainly not conservative in 2nd half)
Baltimore - NO
Oakland - NO
Carolina - NO
Indianapolis NO
Tennessee - NO
Baltimore - NO

Am I missing something?

By the way, who are these NFL teams you admire that pour it on other teams and never blow leads?

*New Orleans? no, they gave up an 18 point lead to KC this week
*New England? no, they gave up a 13 point lead to Baltimore
*Baltimore? no, they gave up a 21 point halftime lead to Pittsburgh a couple years ago in the playoffs

... Teams like the 49ers of the 1980s don't exist anymore. That is by league design. Am I the only one that sees the irony that the same people complaining about how Kubiak finishes these wins, never gave him any credit for the team's ability to come from behind or fight adversity in all the tough losses they suffered from '07 to '10... Seems like I remember lots of fans saying the following:

"ALL THAT MATTERS IS WINNING THE GAME"... Well, apparently not, because the current formula has the Texans as the only undefeated team in the AFC, with the widest point margin, and a team that won 11 games last season without blowing any significant second half leads.

Solution: go see your doctor about blood pressure medication. Or, at the least, switch to decaf coffee and enjoy rooting for the best organization in the NFL, because that is what we are doing right now.
 
GP said:
I think SecondHoneymoon is the only Fire Kubiak! guy who still sports the soap.

So why create an issue, Corrosion and GlassHalfFull, when there isn't one? Have I missed the posts lately where people have a pink soap avatar? I sure haven't seen any. SH hasn't posted here in ages.

I don't get how people can invent something in the middle of a thread that doesn't even apply. LOL.

People flew the pink soap until about week 1 or 2 of last year, then it was apparent that Gary's job was safe for a verrry long time.

Nobody here is asking for his head. But he does tend to sort of become a bit conservative when he has a comfy lead. Yesterday was the first time I can recall Schaub really going downfield late in a game with a comfy lead. But previously? I don't recall those types of downfield shots like the ones to LeStar and Dre.
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Yup, agree completely. I hope people don't think I was trying to be negative about Kubiak here. I love Kubiak, and have been a fan of his for a long time.

The point of the thread was to respond to some comments I've seen in threads like "what do you want to see" or "next week is a must win" where people are saying they want to see big late game blowouts. Kubiak plays his style of football, and he plays it well. I just thought it was an unreasonable critique of the team, given they play the game they have been trained to play (and do it well!). 3-0. No one is complaining
 
Asked him about his ear tonight, tried to get him to laugh about him looking like he just got out of a fight with Tyson, no laugh on nothing. Schaub in person is very serious and kind of odd. Meh oh well he looked fine was moving around shoulder looked to be no issue.
 
silvrhand said:
Asked him about his ear tonight, tried to get him to laugh about him looking like he just got out of a fight with Tyson, no laugh on nothing. Schaub in person is very serious and kind of odd. Meh oh well he looked fine was moving around shoulder looked to be no issue.
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You think he was really in the mood for Tyson jokes? :toropalm:
 
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